Thistle-pulling machine.



H. F. HOEHNE.

THISTLE PULLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men SEPT. 24, 191 7.

Patented May 21, 1,918.

HERMAN FRED HOEHNE, 0F KAUKAUNA, WISCONSIN.

THISTLE-PULLING MIACHINE.

Application filed September 24, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN F. HOEHNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kaukauna, in the county of Outagamie and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thistle- Pulling Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in thistle pulling machines, or weeders, of the general type shown in the U. S. patent to Bornemann & Tennessen, Jr., 1,136,206 of April 20, 1915. This machine has met with much success, but experience has taught that some improvement is necessary to prevent bending of the comb teeth and breaking of the cleaner springs.

, In the machine illustrated in the patent above referred to, the comb teeth decrease in width toward theirouter ends and all of said teeth are of the same length, so that wedge shaped spaces are provided between them to receive the thistles and weeds as the combs are rotated by the reel. It has been found that the larger weeds will not move toward the bases of the teeth before the pulling operatian takes place, and this places all strain on the outer ends of the teeth. Since these ends are remote from the points of anchorage of the teeth, and are rather delicately shaped, bending of the teeth often takes place. One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a comb in which alternate teeth are of less length than the intervening teeth, whereby the weeds may move toward the bases of these teeth before being gripped thereby, thus insuring that no bending shall take place.

A further disadvantage of the machine in question, is that the cleaners for the combs must move to such an extent as to place excessive strain upon the springs which return them to their initial positions. This has caused considerable trouble by breaking these springs. A further object of the invention is to overcome this difliculty by shortening the travel of the cleaners, this being permitted by the arrangement of teeth above set forth.

With the foregoing general objects in View, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Serial No. 192,965.

scribed and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a weed puller embodying the improved combs;

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one section of the improved comb;

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections of Fig. 3 on the planes of the lines -il4 and 55 respectively; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one section of the comb.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates the frame of the machine, said frame being mounted upon suitable wheels 2 which drive a rotating reel 3, by means of gearing or other suitable driving connections. The reel 3 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced bars a parallel with the reel axis, a cleaning bar 5 adjacent each bar 4, actuating levers 6 for said bar 5, stops 7 on the frame 1 for actuating said levers to cause the bars 5 to clean the combs yet to be described, and springs 8 for returning said levers to their initial positions. All of this construction is well known and forms no part of the present invention, being illustrated solely for the purpose of disclosing the application of the improved combs 9 to the reel 3.

Each comb 9 is provided with a plurality of teeth of unequal length, the alternate teeth 10 being longer than the intervening teeth 11, the former being preferably about twice the length of the latter. The teeth 10 and 11 are preferably formed integrally with the front edge of an attaching base or plate 12 which is secured by bolts or the like to the adjacent bar 4 of the reel 3, stamped metal construction being in most cases employed. During the stamping operation, the edges of the several teeth, which edges converge toward the outer ends thereof, are turned downwardly to a slight extent to provide reinforcing flanges 13 which effectively stiffen the teeth. Each comb may be formed of a plurality of separate teeth if occasion should so demand, or of one piece extending throughout the length of the bar 4, but in most cases I prefer to form said combs in a plurality of sections as shown in Fig. 1, all of said sections being identical in shape and construction in order that complications in manufacture and application may be avoided.

By the provision of the short teeth 11 between the teeth 10, the large weeds'are-permitted to move toward the bases 14 of the teeth, before-they: are wedged between said' teeth, and thus the strain of pulling is placed upon the strongest portions of the teeth, sothat bending thereof is positively prevented; Furthermore since the function of the cleaners 5 ,is only to dislodge the weeds from the V-shaped spaces between the sev-- eral' teeth, these, cleaners need. onlyv travel a distance equaltothe length of the short vfingers 11. By this reduction in travel the strain uponzthe springs Bis-not so great as in the original machine, and, consequently thereis no danger whatever of. breaking these springs.

From the foregoing,,ta ken in'connection with the aocompanyingdrawing, itwillbe obvious that although my invention. is of comparatively simple. and inexpensive nature, it will be highly efficient anddurable for the purposes intended. Since probably the best results are obtained from the several' specific details shown and described,

- these details are by preference employed,

but I wish it understood that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous HERMAN- FRED HOEHNE.

Witnesses:

H; S; FAUST, G. W. RIs'rAN.

Copies of this-patent may be obtainedufor, five cents each,,,by addressing theflcommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.? 

